Analysis of Traditional and Existing Construction ... · another.Rajasthan vernacular architecture is the informal, functional architecture of the rural houses. These houses built

Abstract-

‘Built environment comprises’ Man-Made

Environment. It includes the relationship between

environment, ecology, town/village, buildings and

human being. A conventional building or Traditional

building is a building constructed in accordance with

the traditional construction practices and regular

building code in a specific country during a particular

time period (Sartorim and Hestnesrt, 2007).

Traditional rural houses built with locally available

material with traditional techniques and vernacular

Architecture designs creating ideal environment with

sustainability which is the need of the hour today and

future also. In traditional rural houses, there is a total

richness due to space, sun, greenery, fresh-air, un-

polluted environment and grooming around is god

gift for the village human being for their mind and

body.Now-a-days population is gradually increasing

and due to emergence of large, densely populated

villages, pressure on resources at the local level and

its severe scarcity, threat of climatic change, water,

air and land pollution has raised to importance to

eco-friendly construction and sustainable villages.

When we talk about smart villages, it should be S-

Sustainable, M-Measurable, A-Affordable, R-

Replicable & T-Technology.

The villagers have all the

potential of development socially, scientifically,

economically and environmentally. If we understand

the eco-system of the Indian villages, truly there are

all the opportunities and avenues to make our villages

and our country a sustainably developing nation.

In

rural houses Climatic, Cultural, Ecological,

Economic, Health, Social and Spatial sustainability

are the dimension of sustainability which are essential

for integrated development planning of a smart

village house. We must integrate with traditional

construction techniques with modernisation and

evolves models which must grow from within.

Traditional techniques and materials have become

obsolescence in the present time. Modern building

materials like Cement Concrete, Steel and bricks are

gaining increased demand due to greater acceptance

because of easy availability. But these thoughtless

constructions of modern houses do not behave well in

the local climatic conditions.

For the purpose of this study, the prevalent

traditional and modern techniques in Southern-

western part of Rajasthan are analysed and assessed

for their suitability in the present era. Traditional

knowledge of building houses should be collaborated

with the modern materials and latest construction

technology for both affordable housing and

sustainable development.

Keywords: Rural Housing, Traditional Construction

Techniques, Smart Villages, Sustainable, Eco friendly

construction,

Vernacular Architecture

I.

INTRODUCTION

Traditional

architecture, which is sustainable also

is

a term used to categories method of construction

which uses locally available resources and

traditions to address local need. The traditional

architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental cultural and historical context in

which it exists.It has

often been dismissed as crude

and unrefined,

but also has proponents who

highlight its importance in current

design.According to Laurie baker “The use of local

material with consideration to local climate and

participation of the people leads to a holistic design

approach.”[11].

In Rajasthan traditional house which is made by

vernacular architect the conception

of space begins

with a single cell shelter. This is irrespective of the form and the material which may very form one

context to another.Rajasthan vernacular

architecture is

the informal,

functional architecture

of the rural houses. These houses built of local

material and designed to meet the needs of the local

people[12]. The

builders of these houses are

unschooled in the formal architectural design and

their work reflects the rich diversity of Rajasthan’s

climate locally available building material and the

intricate Variations in local social customs and

craftsman.It has been

observed that,

in the rural

area of Rajasthan 90% of all building is vernacular. It is

for daily use for ordinary,

local people and

built by local craftsman[13].

According to census 2011, in Rajasthan only 45%

rural are in good condition, 50% livable and 5%

houses are in dilapidated condition.

Analysis of Traditional and Existing

Construction Practices for Sustainable Rural

Houses in the Southern Western Part of

RajasthanMansingh Rathore

Research Scholar, Dept. of Civil Engg.,

NITTTR, Chandigarh, India

Sanjay K. SharmaProfesso, Dept. of Civil Engg.

NITTTR, Chandigarh IndiaVimal PreetAssociate Professor,

Dept. of Architecture, Chandigarh University,

Mohali, Punjab

International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)

ISSN: 2278-0181

Published by, www.ijert.org

RTCEC - 2018 Conference Proceedings

Volume 6, Issue 11

Special Issue - 2018

1

Fig. 1. Households by condition of census house in Rural Area

of Rajasthan[19]

Wide disparity can be seen in the housing

conditions of rural areas. Also there is a large share

of obsolescent and non-serviceablekutcha houses.

Based on above census data we can broadly

divided rural houses into the three categories-

A katcha is a building made of natural material

such as mud, grass, bamboo, thatch or sticks and is

therefore a short lived structure. Since it is not

made for endurance it required constant

maintenance and replacement.

A pucca is a structure made form material resistant

wear , such as forms of stone or brick, clay tiles,

metal or other durable materials, sometimes using

mortar to bind, that does not need to be constantly

maintained or replaced, However such structures

are expensive to construct as the materials are

costly and more labor is required. A pucca may be

elaborately decorated in contrast to a katcha,

A combination of the katcha and pucca style, the

semi-pucca has evolved as villagers have acquired

the resource to add the element constructed of the

durable materials characteristic of a pucca.

Architecture as always evolves organically as the

needs and resources of people change[14].

This is also evident from the fact that in India and

Rajasthan the construction of Katcha houses in

2012 was only 9 % and pucca houses reaches in

India up to 66% and in Rajasthan up to 76%

[Figure2]. The declining trend in construction of

houses using traditional techniques has almost

vanished in the present date.

Fig. 2. Distribution of Rural Households living in various types

of Houses in India and Rajasthan from July 2012 to Dec 2012

(According to Census Report 2011)[19]

We are re-thinking on Rural Houses of Rajasthan

because weloosing cultural heritage of local house

construction pattern which is more sustainable and

affordable as compare to modern construction. Due

to modernization in rural housing sector, the use of modern material is increasing and modern materials

have great impact on environment because of high

energy consumption. So the biggest problem is that

the houses being build today are neither sustainable

nor affordable. Un-planned modern construction

made un-hygienic and less or non ventilated houses. The shift of trend to build modern houses

4,282,4484,774,582

433,333

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

Good Livable Dilapidated

76%

15%

9%

Distribution of Rural Households living in various type of Houses in

Rajasthan from July 2012-Dec 2012

Pucca

Semi Pucca

Katcha

66%

25%

9%

Distribution of Rural Households living in various type of Houses in

India from July 2012-Dec 2012

Pucca

Semi Pucca

Katcha


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without proper knowledge of modern day materials

result in tremendous amount of rise in construction

cost. Indian vernacular architecture is almost all on

the verge of end, thus local architecture, cultural

heritage, should be prevented and new technology

must be introduced, but in a minimalist way so we

can make sustainable and affordable rural houses

build with locally available material[12].

II. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

In the western region of Rajasthan, districts in this

region are Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jalor, Jodhpur, Pali,

and Naguar. This region falls under Western Sandy

Plains where the westernpart of the region falls

under sandy arid plains and the eastern part of the

region falls under semi‐arid transitional plain. The

Luni Basin (Godavari tract) passes through Pali and

Jalor. ‘The Great Desert’ falls under this region

covered by sand dunes with sparse vegetation

which greatly influence the economic activity in

this area.Most of the region falls under very hot and arid climate[11]. The western part has a severe arid

climate with an average temperature in summer

soaring above 34 degree Celsius and 12 – 16

degree Celsius in winter. Rains are deficient every

season with average rainfall less than 10 cm in

western parts and less than 20 cm average in rest of

the region. However semiarid vegetation is also

found in east Jalor and Pali districts.Vulnerability

to Natural Disaster, the Barmer district lies in

seismic zone IV. Other districts falls within seismic

zone II or Zone III.

Traditional and Existing constructionpractices in this area there are Single storeyed houses with

small openings in walls are constructedwith

dressed/semi‐dressed/undressedsandstone and stone

patti roof. Cooking space is usually provided in

traditional circular jhopa which is constructed with

sun dried mud blocks and breathing thatch roof. It

is observed that traditional jhopa is widely used as

kitchen which is detached from the main house.

The entrance of jhopa is facing the house and hence

maintains the privacy of women while using this

space. The space between the Jhopa and house is serving as extended cooking space, space for

leisure activities etc.

Fig. 3. Traditional jhopa is used as kitchen[19]

This region has a fair deposit of sandstone. Thus

most of the constructions found in Jodhpur and

Jaisalmer area consist of red/pinkand yellow

sandstone. Lime is also used extensively in most of

the surveyed houses in the form of lime‐blocks, mortar and plaster. Bricks and cement blocks are

also used in Barmer and Pali region. Mud houses

are also found in regions where tribal population

exist.

Fig.4. District Map of Western Region of Rajasthan[20]

The people in this region are mostly engaged in

farming and animal husbandry. Most of the people

also work as a daily wager.In this region

settlements are scattered and thinly populated.

Mostfamilies live in clusters with demarcated

boundary. Nuclear familiesusually reside in a plot

very close to the family they have nucleated.

There are some learnings and drawback in this

area, like for the design of shelter sense of

enclosure is critical in low density and sparsely

populatedareas. Their Response of Shelter towards climate the isolated kitchen keeps the heat

generation in a specific location. These spaces have

breathing roofs (jhopa). Cross ventilation needs to

be promoted through central open area and small

openings. Thick walls decrease the heat gain from

outside but also take up a lot of liveable space. The

house comprises simple load bearing structure. Flat

stone patti roofing system transfers load to random

rubble foundation through 18” thick dressed or

semi dressed stone walls. To promote the

environmental sustainability the local procurement of materials should be encouraged. There are Waste


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stone found in abundance, we can use these waste

stone in flooring andmaking walling elements e.g.

stone‐crete blocks. Some traditional elements also

present in existing houses likeNiches made in

external facade for storage and lighting lamps[15]. The Southern region of Rajasthan covers the

districts Ajmer, Bhilwara, Rajsamand, Chittaugarh,

Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara, Partapgarh and

Sirohi. The Aravalli Range passes through parts of

Udaipur, Dungarpur and Rajsamand including the

north‐western corner of Ajmer. Theremaining region falls under The Eastern Plains with a small

partof Chittorgarh falling under Southern Rajasthan

Pathar (HadotiPlateau). This includes the great

watershed of India – Banas Basinwhich starts from

the east of Udaipur.The deeply dissected area of

Chappan Plains also falls under this region which

includes the hilly tracts of Banswara and

Dungarpur. This region is characterized by

undulated topography, forestedterrains & plenty of

vegetation.Semi‐arid vegetation is mostly found in

this region with highsummer temperature. Savannah and monsoon type of vegetation isalso

found in Udaipur, Banswara and Dungarpur

characterized bywet summer and dry winter.

Fig.5. District Map of Southern Region of Rajasthan[20]

This region is mostly characterized byhumid

region.It receives rainfall between 40cm to 60 cm.

Districts like Rajsamand and parts of Udaipur

receive winter rainfall associated

withcyclones.Vulnerability to Natural Disaster, The

entire region is drought prone and lies in Zone II of

Seismic vulnerability except for Sihori which lies

in seismic zone III.Traditional and Existing

constructionpractices in this area, there are Rammed earth, sun dried mud blocks and random

rubble withmud mortar are predominantly used in

traditional constructionwith clay tile/Mangalore

tiles on two way sloping roofs.Agriculture is the

main occupation of the people in this

region.However during non agricultural season,

they are engaged in dailylabour work for

construction of houses. This region has the highest

tribal population predominantly Bhil tribe among

other tribes Meena, Grasia, Damore. The

culturalbelieves of the people is reflected in the way they construct theirhouses in this region.

Majority of homesteads in tribal areas areisolated

whether they are on mounds or plains[12].

There are some learnings and drawback in this

area, like for the design of shelter the Plot boundary

defined by low height wall or bio‐fencing.

Enclosed verandah doubles as cooking space.

There is one interior room with no openings for

stores valuables. Doors and windows are important

elements and beautifully decorated. House as one

component with kitchen integrated in semi covered.

Verandah helps to define the core as safe and lockable space and thick walls mitigate break‐ins in

tribal areas. The houses comprise thick walls,

minimum openings and breathing roofs in houses

(Mangalore tiles), earth walls help in keeping the

house cool. Large overhangs to protect earth walls

from high rainfall.

The Structural system of these houses comprises

simple load bearing structure, twoway sloping roof

with Mangalore tile or traditional tiles on

timberunder structure transferring load to random

rubble foundationthrough 18” thick rammed earth walls.To promote environmental sustainability the

local procurement of materials should be

encouraged.There is good earth for construction

found in abundance;we can use this good earth

invarious ways. In this region some traditional

elements also present like Niches in external facade

for storage and lighting lamps and decorative

bracket supporting the eave end.

DEVELOPMENT OF CORE HOUSE

The core-house responds to the socio-cultural and

economic character of the inhabitant. It is the

minimal space that a household cannot do without.

This is a safe lockable space that needs to be disaster resilient and also respond to the climatic

condition.

Fig. 6. Design of Core House


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For Western Part of Rajasthan

Type A- Module when cooking space is detached

from the core and facing towards it to make an

enclosure.

Fig. 7. Design of Core House for Western Rajasthan (Type A)

TYPE B- Module when cooking space is covered

and attached with the core.

Fig. 8. Design of Core House for Western Rajasthan (Type B)

Material and Technology- For both type A and B

Roof – Stone Patti with Cement-Sand pointing.

Wall- 350mm thick coursed rubble masonry in Cement/cement-lime-sand mortar

Foundation- Coursed rubble masonry in cement

mortar

For Southern Part of Rajasthan- Module when

cooking space is provided in enclosed verandah. A

small storage space is provided in the core.

Fig. 9. Design of Core House for Southern Rajasthan

Material and Technology

Roof – Stone Patti with Cement-Sand pointing.

Wall- 230mm thick rat trap brick wall in Cement-

sand /cement-lime-sand mortar

Foundation- Coursed rubble masonry in cement

mortar

III. CONCLUSION

Western Rajasthan is characterised by low and

erratic rainfall, high air and soil temperature,

intense solar radiation and high wind velocity.

Climate change acts as an additional stress on

ecological and socio-economic systems. Major

disasters experienced due to climate change are

drought, flash floods, Earthquakes, heat waves. Other climate change impacts are increase in

temperature, decrease in precipitation, health

impacts, increasing drought conditions etc.

Rajasthan State Action Plan on climate change

estimates the mean annual rainfall would decrease

slightly, but extreme rainfall (more than 244.5 mm

rainfall in a day) is expected to increase in

frequency and intensity in the model projections for

2071-2100. Average temperature in Rajasthan is

projected to rise by 2035 in the range of 1.8°

Celsius to 2.1° Celsius.

Fig.10.Floods in Barmer District in the Month of August

2006[19]


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In August 2006 saw unprecedented rainfall/floods

in otherwise drought stricken region of Barmer,

Rajasthan. The floods led to a loss of 139 lives and

rendered 50,000 homeless.

Fig.11. Traditional Mud Houses in Barmer District[19]

Environmental friendly materials were traditionally

used for housing (mud walls & thatched roofs) in

this area. The houses were conducive and thermally

comfortable in the extreme weather conditions and

Circular design protected the structures from strong

winds and earthquakes. However, the adobe

structures collapsed when severe floods took place.

Fig.12.Mud-Cement Stabilized New Houses in Barmer

District[19]

Traditional practices were very appropriate,

shortfalls in the water resistant capacity of the mud

structures led to damage during floods. Traditional design was effective but need some technological

intervention to address unprecedented disaster.

Traditional houses which is made from mud,

circular in design and had thatched roof not durable

during natural hazards like flood. To make

traditional houses hazards proof the new houses

built were in complete compliance with local

environmental and cultural nuances both in terms

of design and technology used. At the same time,

hazard and vulnerability profile of the area was also

considered to ensure safety from future disasters.

Thus new technology must be introduced, but in a

minimalist way so as to add value to traditional

systems. In above mention construction Mud

walling upgraded to soil-cement and traditional roof material retained aswell as existing houses.

Only traditional design enlarged and reconstruction

done in-situ, also household owners provided

maximum labour for introduce the modern

construction practices for make sustainable house

in hazards.

Major materials used in sustainable rural house

construction should be locally available and the

construction technique should be as simple as

possible.Persons living can construct repair and

maintain their rural house by themselves.Local

architecture, cultural heritage, Vernacular

Architecture should be prevented. Good Health of

residents, Positive energy creation in houses and Values of Human Life will remain prevented.

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Analysis of Traditional and Existing Construction ... · another.Rajasthan vernacular architecture is the informal, functional architecture of the rural houses. These houses built